I have an English accent; I must be a villain.

[Karen El]

Okay, it's been a common thing in American popular culture for a long time now that having an upper class English accent means you are the villain, and although it smacks of bigotry I haven't really minded. In fact it's often amused me, like when playing Star Wars The Old Republic of course I'm Imperial because everyone sounds like me. But I think the Avengers cartoon is taking a bit too far.

I mean there's Enchantress - Norse goddess: British accent. Zemo - German supervillain: British accent. What next? How non-British does a villain need to get before they stop sounding like they live in Surbiton, or possibly East Grinstead?

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

[Chris Jones]

"East Grinstead" sounds evil as fuck.

[Thequeerjock]

For the Norse characters I assumed they gave them English-sounding accents because a lot of Americans tend to consider Scandinavian accents to be comical. I have no idea why that is or where that perception comes from, but I can see why they wouldn't want a menacing villainess to have a thick Swedish accent or something. I guess they simply view English accents as being "ethnic" but not "hilarious".

Part of it I also think comes into the idea of British accents being shorthand for "snobby," which is why you see them given to unsympathetic, wealthy characters even when it makes absolutely no sense in context

[K-DoG7p7]

Okay, it's been a common thing in American popular culture for a long time now that having an upper class English accent means you are the villain, and although it smacks of bigotry I haven't really minded. In fact it's often amused me, like when playing Star Wars The Old Republic of course I'm Imperial because everyone sounds like me. But I think the Avengers cartoon is taking a bit too far.

I mean there's Enchantress - Norse goddess: British accent. Zemo - German supervillain: British accent. What next? How non-British does a villain need to get before they stop sounding like they live in Surbiton, or possibly East Grinstead?

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

To be fair, using star Wars as en example is not that good given that the ultimate good guy in the original trilogy was also English
http://www.jedidefender.com/collect92/obiwan%20anh.jpg


I believe it actually stems from the fact that Propper english sounds smarter then americanized english, and a Smart (sounding) villain is scary

[Karen El]

"East Grinstead" sounds evil as fuck.

It's where Neil Gaiman used to live before he moved to America. Make of that what you will.

[Morrison_Lad]

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

Super-villains often say that!

[sunbird]

Eddie Izzard deals with this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKfeJ2mw0LU).

(Extra- the flag reference in the above clip explained (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTduy7Qkvk8&feature=related)).

[Chris Jones]

Maybe we wouldn't think you were so evil if your evil-ass country wasn't so evil!

Did you ever think of THAT?!?

[Impulse]

Maybe we wouldn't think you were so evil if your evil-ass country wasn't so evil!

Did you ever think of THAT?!?

Evil arsed. Evil ARSED. Get it right, Johnny Colonies! :P

[Weeto]

Scottish actors often end up as Russians in movies, often as villains.

Sean Connery, Robert Carlyle, Robbie Coltrane and even the comedian Rikki Fulton have all played Russians in movies. There have been numerous others as well.

I suppose there is a similarity in the accents in ways, especially as Scots, Russians and Germans share the 'ch' sound on words like loch. Germans and Russians seem to pick up a Scots accent VERY quickly here as the sounds are familiar to them.

[EmarAndZeb]

"East Grinstead" sounds evil as fuck.

More like East GRIMstead amirite?

[Artful Angie]

Okay, it's been a common thing in American popular culture for a long time now that having an upper class English accent means you are the villain, and although it smacks of bigotry I haven't really minded. In fact it's often amused me, like when playing Star Wars The Old Republic of course I'm Imperial because everyone sounds like me. But I think the Avengers cartoon is taking a bit too far.

I mean there's Enchantress - Norse goddess: British accent. Zemo - German supervillain: British accent. What next? How non-British does a villain need to get before they stop sounding like they live in Surbiton, or possibly East Grinstead?

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

I always thought it should have been added to the Evil Overlord List of "Things I Will Never Do When I Become An Evil Overlord".

http://eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html

[stevapalooza]

Blame Shakespeare and your own theater tradition. It's actually more of a compliment than a diss. British accents just have more dramatic heft to them because there's such a strong association with English actors and Shakespeare. American accents sound too ordinary and a German accent would just sound silly.

Obviously this rule doesn't apply to ALL English accents. Cockney sounds as un-regal to us as a Brooklyn accent probably sounds to Brits.

[zemo]

a German accent would just sound silly.

I assume that is because no one gives a fuck about portraying a real German accent, at least not in the US. The standard WW2 silliness is prefered over reality.

And in general, I got something of a feeling that the majority of the American audience finds any accent silly that isn't English, with the exception of the Latino one (which is overemphasized for sexuality) and the French one (which gets the romantic treatment).

[stevapalooza]

I assume that is because no one gives a fuck about portraying a real German accent, at least not in the US. The standard WW2 silliness is prefered over reality.

And in general, I got something of a feeling that the majority of the American audience finds any accent silly that isn't English, with the exception of the Latino one (which is overemphasized for sexuality) and the French one (which gets the romantic treatment).

Good point. A genuine German accent wouldn't be silly. I meant most people's horrible impression of a German accent.

[Morrison_Lad]

Good point. A genuine German accent wouldn't be silly. I meant most people's horrible impression of a German accent.

When I lived in Madison, WI, I knew a gorgeous girl from Austria with whom I worked, and her accent was truly beautiful.

But yeah, the stereotype German accent is ridiculous.

[zemo]

Good point. A genuine German accent wouldn't be silly. I meant most people's horrible impression of a German accent.

Something that always amuses me about the Americans and the British (the latter of which not even having the excuse of living in a huge country they barely ever have to leave) is that to many of them, an accurate description of specifically Germans and the French (but also Russians, Australians, and soem others) always comes from someone who never has lived in the culture they're talking about, nevermind being able to speak the language. Like the British outright stating Germans have no humor. Or that good old "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" business.

I'll readily admit that there are stereotypes about the British and the Americans too, but they barely ever survive first contact.

[Tyr]

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

Are you sure? you get your own secret lair, and a cat.

And that is if your a just if your mild mannered speaking Brit. Imagine what you would get if you were a Super-villain and had a voice like Brian Blessed's.


I assume that is because no one gives a fuck about portraying a real German accent, at least not in the US. The standard WW2 silliness is prefered over reality.

And in general, I got something of a feeling that the majority of the American audience finds any accent silly that isn't English, with the exception of the Latino one (which is overemphasized for sexuality) and the French one (which gets the romantic treatment).

I dunno, I find a non regional accent on a woman to be rather sexy. Especially a Slavic one. And German is the best language to do a porno in, if the actors really must say anything imho.

Bare in mind that America itself is a bevy of various accents. Comes with being a nation that spans most of a continent.

You can also blame that silly WW 2 German accent on the Brits. Ever seen the show "ello "ello?

[C.B. Nerdlinger]

No one who speaks German can be evil.

[Tyr]

No one who speaks German can be evil.

No, but they can play it on TV.

[Craig C]

Are you sure? you get your own secret lair, and a cat.

And that is if your a just if your mild mannered speaking Brit. Imagine what you would get if you were a Super-villain and had a voice like Brian Blessed's.


Hopefully something like this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_dWpCy8rdc

[Tyr]

Getting back to what Karen was talking about, I wonder when we Yanks will widely accept protagonists with fancy British accents. Oh wait! I just thought of 10 of them off the top of my head. 2 of which Yanks can't currently get enough of. Huh, weird. Now Germans, I can only think of 2, and one of them isn't technically German, and she's not that widely known....but she should be! You should all be reading Girl Genius right now dammit!